Hygienic spray toilet seat



y 1962 A. H. MARTIN. 3,044,076

HYGIENIC SPRAY TOILET SEAT Filed June 15, 1960 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR. Ar'fhur' H. Mar-fini July 17, 1962 Filed June 13, 1960 A. H. MARTINI 1 3,044,076

HYGIENIC SPRAY TOILET SEAT 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR.

The invention relates to certain useful improvements and structural refinements in accessories for use with toilet bowls, and more particularly to a toilet seat and mounting members of sanitary design which integrally incorporate a personal hygiene device for spraying the region of the anus or pre-moistening toilet tissue for cleaning said region.

The principal object of this invention is to provide an improved device of simplified and sanitary construction for use with toilet bowls, comprising a toilet seat having an obstruction-free smooth bottom and evenly contoured top, and incorporating a spray jet flush with the surface thereof which is horizontally directed to the central open area of said seat, and which jet is in communication with a source of water supply by an internal passageway in said seat, a tubular pintle, a hollow pintle support element for pivotally mounting said seat to a toilet bowl, and a manually controlled valve in line to the water supply.

While it is widely known and understood that water is an essential element for cleaning the hands and other parts of the body, the absence of this element in a convenient form for cleaning the anus has heretofore necessitated cleaning this region of the body in a dry and inadequate manner after the toilet has been used, therefore, it is an object of this invention to greatly improve bodily hygiene by providing a convenientand control lable supply of water at the central open area of the toilet seat for use in cleaning the anus.

A still further object of this invention is to gravitationally and controllably communicate, by highly concealed and sanitary means, a supply of water to the toilet seat spray jet from the bottom of closet flush tank by connectably linking same to the lower end of the hollow pintle support element, with said means being below the flush tank support bracket of the toilet bowl.

A still further object of this invention is to provide a watertight rotational union between the trunnioned open end of the tubular pintle and the journalled bore in the hollow pintle support element to concealably communicate water from the supply source to the toilet seat spray jet.

A still further object of this invention is to provide an anus moistening device of the type referred to which is simple in construction and economical to manufacture and which may readily be adapted to any conventional toilet bowl.

With the above and other objects in view, this in vention consists in the novel features of construction, combination and arrangement of parts to be hereinafter more fully described, claimed, and illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which:

FIGURE 1 is a erspective view showing the inven tion as used in conjunction with a tank mounted water closet.

FIGURE 2 is a perspective view showing the same in vention as in FIGURE 1, but as used in conjunction with an automatic tankless type water closet.

FIGURE 3 is a detailed top plan view and a sectional side view of the rear portion of the hygienic spray toilet seat showing the optional deodorant cavity.

FIGURE 4 is a partial exploded sectional view of the pintle and pintle support elements.

Referring in detail to the drawings, 10' indicates a conventional type water closet to which the personal hyv ice Patented July 17, 1962 2 giene device is attached, and 11 indicates the hygienic spray toilet seat.

Referring in particular to FIGURE 1, the invention Referring in particular to FIGURE 2, the invention as usedin conjunction with a conventional toilet room water closet having an automatic type tankless flushing mechanism operates as follows: water from concealed water main 63 is communicated by means of a T pipe fitting 25 to a small connecting pipe 26 and a shut-off valve 27 having a spring return automatic shut-01f mechanism which is manually actuated by handle 34. Said valve handle 34 by a suitable extension similar to handle 16 in FIGURE 1 may be used for hand operation, however, shown herein is a foot operated release which is operated by depressing foot treadle 29 which pivots release bar 30 about fulcrum on bracket 31 causing the end of release bar 32 which is fastened to release linkage 33 to rise, urging linkage 33 upward and through swivel connection34 with valve release handle to open valve 27 and permit water to pass and enter a check valve 35 which is connected 'to the novel hollow pintle support bracket 19, and which communicates the pressurized flow of water through the hollow passageway thereof to the passageway 20 of tubular pintle 60' of seat 11. Said seat incorporates pintle 60 as an integral part thereof, the ends of which extend trunnion-like from each side of said seat from which points they are pivotally supported by pintle support brackets 19 and 24. Said tubular pintle 60 has one end open and the opposite end sealably closed and is intersected at a point internally within seat 11 by a forwardly directed passageway 21 which is necked down prior to emerging on seat surface as spray orifice 22 from which spray 23 is emitted.

Referring in particular to FIGURES 3 and 4 where the invention is outlined in greater detail, 11 indicates the novel toilet seating device incorporating an optional cavity 56 for introducing a deodorant into the spray water. The tubular pintle 60 is integral with and is concealed in said seat 11 except for each end thereof which projects from said seat and thereby forms the trunnion members 38 and 39. Trunnion member 39 is open at end section 58 and pintle 60 is hollow through its entire length except at end of trunnion 39 where it'is plugged closed with disc 59, with the hollow portion of said pintle forming passageway 20. The pintle support brackets 19 and 24 pivotally support and mount seat 11 to any conventional toilet bowl, and more specifically bore 42 in bracket 24 engages trunnion 38 and bore 44 in bracket 19 engages trunnion 39. The resilient ring gasket 43 has a hole equal in diameter to diameter of passageway 61 in bracket 19 and fits in bore 44 so that said gasket bottoms is emitted into the central open area of seat 11 as spray and at a distance therefrom which: approximately centers the set screws 45 over groove 40 in trunnion 39 when said trunnion isassem-hled in bore 44 'with gasket 43 as previously described. Floating loosely in groove 40 is a split ring band 65 which completely encircles groove 40 J except for small lateral spilt opening, which is sprung into trunnion 39. Split ring band 65 is engaged by pointed tips of the three set screws 45 after bracket 19, gasket 43 and trunnion 39 are assembled as previously described,

which engagement by said set screws causes band 65 to be compressed into a smaller diameter and thus to be forced deeper into groove 40 thereby acting on bevel of said'groove in such a way to cause trunnion 39 to move deeper into bore 44 and thus compress gasket 43 to provide a watertight seal. In so doing pointed ends of set screws 45 bite into outer surface of band 65 locking said band in a fixed relationship with bracket 19 so that when trunnion 39 rotates due to seat 11 being adjusted to a different position, that slippage occurs between said band and said trunnion member. Pintle support brackets 19 and 24 are aflixed and mounted to water closet by placing threaded ends of said brackets through conventional holes 49 in water closet 10 so that shoulders 48 on said brackets together with support washers 47 bear directly on top fiat surface of water closet 14}, after which resilient washers 50, locking washers 51 and nuts 52 are applied to the threaded ends of brackets 19 and 24- to securably position and hold seat 11 in a fixed relationship with water closet 10. The hollow support bracket 19 is in communication with a source of water supply by -means of connecting tube 17 whose flanged end complements bevel '53 on lower end of bracket 19, which bevelled surfaces are drawn tightly together by nut 18 when same is tightened on threads 62.

In FIGURE 3 the optional cavity for a deodorant is indicated by numeral 56, the screw cover over said cavity by 41 and the turn slot in said cover by S7. The hollow pintle 60 is in communication with the source of water supply, which water flows through passageway 20' of pintle 60 and passageway 21 of seat 11 as previously; described to spray jet 22, intersecting passageway 21 is cavity 56 which is of suitable size and shape and is entirely contained'within seat 11. Thus, when desired a loosely fitting deodorant capsule may be placed in cavity 56 wherein the water flowing through passageway 21 to spray jet 22 acquires a clean and refreshing scent.

Having thus described my invention, what is'claimed as new is:

l. Ina personal hygiene device associated with a toilet bowl and a toilet seat, a

(a) a tubular pintle mounted at the rear of said seat and having portions which extend from the opposite sides of said seat, one of said extending portions having in its outer periphery an annular groove which is beveled, on the side thereof nearest the end of said one portion, toward the seat, (b) a pair of pintle supports adapted to be mounted in fixed relation to said bowl for engaging said ex- Cir itending portions to pivotally support the pintle and seat for movement with respect to said bowl, the one of said supports which engages said one extending portion being hollow for conducting liquid to a said pintle,

(c) a split contractable ring beveled complementary to said groove and mounted in said groove,

(d) a resilient ring gasket positioned between said one extending portion and said one of said supports to form a liquid seal therebetween, and

(e) means for urging said one end of said pintle into liquid sealing engagement with said gasket and said one support to provide a liquid seal during pivotal movement of the seat relative to the bowl, said urging means being carried by said one support and being disposed in non-sliding engagement with said ring for changing the diameter thereof in said groove, whereby the pintle is moved relative to said one support in response to the relative sliding movement between the beveled side of said groove and the complementary bevel of said ring.

2. A personal hygiene device for mounting on a toilet bowl which is operatively connected to a source of water, said device comprising:

(a) a toilet seat having a centrally disposed opening,

(5) a hollow pintle mounted at the rear of said seat and extending from the opposite sides thereof,

(0) means fixed on said bowl for mounting said pintle for pivotal movement with respect to said bowl and including means for connecting the pintle to said source of water so that water flows through said pintle,

((1) means disposed within said seat for conducting water from said pintle to the central opening of said seat to form an anus spray, one portion of said conducting :rneans between said pintle and said opening being enlarged to receive a hygienic water treating capsule,

(2) means in said seat defining a passageway extending between the exterior of the seat and said one portion of said conducting means, said passageway being sub: stantially as large in cross section as said one portion to permit said capsule to be inserted therethrough into said one portion, and

(f) a removable cover for said passageway disposed in liquid sealing engagement with said seat to prevent water firom escaping to the exterior of said seat through said passageway.

3. A personal hygiene device in accordance with claim 2 and wherein:

(a) said passageway extends between the top surface of said seat to said cavity, and

(b) said cover when in liquid sealing engagement with said seat forms a substantially flush continuation of the top surface of said seat over said passageway.

References Cited in the tile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,585,557 Miller May 18, 1926 1,752,782 Barton Apr. 1, 1930 1,990,268 Crane Feb. 5, 1935 2,466,720 Main Apr. 12, 1949 2,504,257 Dunn Apr. 18, 1950 2,859,983 May Nov. 11, 1958 2,875,450 Umann Mar. 3, 1959 

